John mccaffrey



(NolVIodeL) J. MQGAPPREY.

STEAM SEPARATOR Paten ted Jan. 1,18%.

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UNITED STATES,

J OI'INMCOAFFREY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ATW'OOD PATENT OFFICE.

& MCOAFFREY, OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM-SEPA'RATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,638, dated January 1, 18-95.

Application filed June 12,1894. Serial No- 514,276. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN MOOAFFREY, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

-My invention relates to steam separators, that is, to devices placed between the boiler and engine or system of heating pipes as the case may be, so as to separate from the steam the watery particles held in suspension with the steam, and to deliver only the dry steam to the engine or system of pipes to be heated.

The object of my invention is to providea cheap and simple form of such steam separator which is not liable to be affected by corrosion or incrustation of parts, and which contains no complicated parts liable to get out of order. I,

To these ends it consists, generally stated, in a steam separator having its body formed of an upper section and a vertical expansion chamber or lower section depending therefrom, the upper section having a diaphragm extending across the same and a pipe secured in the diaphragm and communicating with the discharge outlet-and depending into the expansion chamber, so forming an inlet passage through the upper section and around such pipe into the expansion chamber, said pipe having straight and plain inner and outer walls and the space in the expansion chamber around andbelow the pipe being free and unobstructed; it being found that by such construction of separator the steam is directed or deflected by the diaphragm, in a straight downwardly course around the depending pipe, and as it has a free course vertically into the expansion chamber an impetus in a direct downward course is imparted to the watery particles held in suspension by the steam, and as the course around said pipe and below the same is free and unobstructed, the watery particles are discharged into the lower part of the expansion chamber when the steam expands therein, and are so separated from the steam, and the dry steam ascends through the pipe to the discharge outlet;

To enable others skilled in'the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of .the steam separator, and Fig. 2 is an end view partly in section.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each of ihe figures.

The separator is formed of the upper section a containing the inlet passage b and outlet passage c, and the expansion chamber d which depends from the upper section a. In the upper sectiona is the diaphragm ewhich has the central passage f-in which is screwed, or otherwise secured, the depending eduction pipe g. It will be noticed that the diaphragm e on the inlet side thereof has the wall 6' against which the steam entering the inlet passage 1) strikes, and on each side thereof the inclined faces e shown more clearly in Fig. 2, but indicated by the diagonal lines in Fig. 1, so that the steam on entering the separator will be deflected on both sides of the pipe g and pass thence in a direct downward course around the same. It is to be noticed that the expansion chamber d has the narrow neck or upper portion h which opens into the enlarged body or lower portion In in which the water is gathered and in which the steam has opportunity to expand. It will also be noticed that the pipe g has straight and plain inner and outer walls, the result of which is that between said pipe and the neck .72 of the expansion chamber is formed a narrow, straight annular chamber at the base of the deflecting wall or diaphragm e by which the steam is forced in a direct downward course into the expansion chamber with the result hereinafter described. A suitable discharge pipe m is provided for carrying off the water collected in the expansion chamber, itnot being considered necessary to illustrate the valve controlling the same.

When the steam separator is in use the steam flows from the supply pipe into the inlet passage 1) and strikes against the diaphragm e, and by its central upper face 6' is checked and diverted downwardly, while by the inclined faces 6 of the diaphragm on each side of the central face 6, it is also directed in a downward course and is forced through the narrow passage Z formed between the pipe g and neck It; and on account of the small a ea of such passage the steam is projected in a direct downward course with considerable velocity through such narrow passage, and imparts to the watery particles contained therein a like velocity. As the steam enters the expansion chamber, it naturally expands therein, its velocity being checked, but as watery particles are heavier than the dry steam, the direct downward course imparted to them by passage through the annular space Z is continued and said particles are projected to the base of the expansion chamber or into the water contained therein, being so separated from the steam, which being lighter after it has expanded in the enlarged portion 7.: of the expansion chamber naturally rises through the eduction pipe 9 into the outlet or discharge passage 0, and passes thence to the engine or to the system of pipes to be heated. I am thus enabled to separate the steam upon the new principle of directing the same in a straight downward course into a free and unobstructed chamber, and I have found from actual practical use that an efticient separation of the watery particles from the steam is obtained. As I do away with all interior parts or apparatus within the expansion chamber or around the depending pipe, I overcome the diificulties heretofore experienced from the in the body portion in order to insert the apparatus within the expansion chamber. A cheap, efficient and durable steam separator is therefore obtained.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is

1. A steam separator having an upper section provided with a diaphragm extending across such upper section, an inlet port entering directly against said diaphragm, and a vertical expansion chamber, depending from the upper section, and an eduction pipe secured in the diaphragm and communicating with the discharge outlet and extending into the expansion chamber, said pipe having straight and plain inner and outer walls, and the space in the expansion chamber around and below the same being free and unobstructed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A steam separator having the diaphragm e having the central deflecting wall (2 and side inclined walls e the horizontal inlet port I) entering directly against said diaphragm, the expansion chamber 61 having the neck h and the enlarged chamber 70 below the same, and the vertical eduction pipe g secured in the diaphragm and communicating with the discharge outlet and depending through the neck It into the enlarged chamber 70, forming a narrow annular space between the pipe and neck, said pipe having plain inner and outer walls and the space in the expansion chamber around and below the same being free and unobstructed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOHN M0- OAFFREY, have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN MCCAFFREY.

Vitnesses:

JAMES I. KAY, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

